Mt. Adams - Oct 15

[ashish]

Looking for a climbing partner for Adams. I plan to climb Mt. Adams on October 15. I may camp overnight some distance up the trail on the 14th or do the whole climb on the 15th. I am a slow hiker but fairly persistent hiker. If I am slowing you down, you are free to move ahead.

Edited September 27, 2011 by ashish

[hobson1]

Hi ashish,

My name is Matt. I'm 18, and a freshman student at UW. I moved here from AZ specifically to climb. I've climbed Mt. Whitney in early June and attempted Mt Hood w/ Timberline Mt Guides this past July but turned back due to weather. I'm not sure how technical Adams is, or how much experience is required. I am very inexperienced and am looking for teachers in the mountains. If you are very experienced and willing to take an amateur under your wing, and Adams isn't too tough, I would love to join you. Just know that I don't own a car but will split gas cost.

Thanks very much,

-Matthew Hobson

[ElectricEric]

I'd be interested in joining you on Adams. I just did it in August and Im already wanting to go back up.

South spur right?

 

@Matt

If its the south spur that he's wanting to do its a great route for a new guy to do. It'll be cold but its basically long hike w/ an ice axe and crampons. Nothing really technical at all.

Edited September 27, 2011 by ElectricEric

[ashish]

Matt - I am not new to outdoors. I hike and backpack, but I am fairly new to mountaineering, alpine starts, and long days. I have been training for Mt. Adams for a couple of months and I seem to be in decent shape. Also, I live at sea level in Houston. But like Eric said, the south spur route is not technical, and a good climb for beginners.

 

Eric - Yes, I plan to do the south route.

 

I will land in Seattle at about 10:30 AM on Friday, Oct 14. So I am not sure how much I will be able to hike on the 14th - it will depend upon when I get to the trail head and how much daylight is available. As such, I am expecting a most of the climb to be on the 15th. If I have company, I dont mind hiking in the dark on the 14th so I can have some head start for the summit on the 15th. These are just my initial ideas. Let me know what you guys think.

[gen8787]

Got your PM, ashish. Thanks.

 

Nice to see some others are interested as well. Are you looking for just one partner or whomever wishes to tag along? I'm sure it'd be fun if we could all go, especially Eric since you've climbed it before.

 

Are you renting a car from the airport or hoping to get a ride there? I'm able to drive there if we split gas.

 

I'm all for going with you. As I'm a new guy at mountaineering myself, I think it would be a great route to start on as Eric said.

 

OK, talk to you soon.

 

Gary

[hobson1]

I would love to join all of you if, Eric, you are okay with a four man team. I can get to anyone's house on public transit, and the airport if necessary, but I've got no car but will contribute to the gas fund. If it's a non-technical climb I would feel comfortable going out, as long as one/all of you know how to evaluate incoming weather/snow conditions/route finding/etc. Inexperienced mountaineers going out and getting caught in a bad situation is dumb obviously, so just know that I'm not one to call the shots and lead everyone. If you're okay with that, then let's do it!

 

One more thing

 

Eric- I'm not sure how the weather plays up here but there always could be the chance that it's unsuitable for going up while you're here. Are you going to be in Seattle for more than a few days so that we have the potential to wait for a clear window?

[clunde]

Check out the Mountaineers. They have a great training program.

I've also heard of a group called the Bushwackers that offer training.

[ashish]

I am fine with a group... it would be more fun...

[ElectricEric]

I live west of seattle so I can definitely wait for a different weather window but I do have that weekend off so if the weathers nice I'll definitely be going.

 

I'm also fine with however many people want to go. The more the merrier.

 

I can possibly give car rides as well.

Edited September 28, 2011 by ElectricEric

[gen8787]

Alright, so as of now it looks like we have a four man team.

 

Matt, I'll pick you up on my way down if that works for you.

 

Do we need to get passes or anything for the climb?

[ElectricEric]

Yeah its called a Cascades Volcano pass and you can pick one up at the Trout Lake ranger station for $15

[gen8787]

Found this on the website...

 

"Purchase of a Cascades Volcano Pass is required if you are climbing above 7,000 feet elevation in Mt. Adams Wilderness, between June 1 and September 30. The Cascades Volcano Pass is a Recreational Fee Demonstration Program, see FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)."

 

We'll be climbing October 14-15 so pass not required!

 

Link

[Seamstress]

If you are doing the standard South Climb, it will not be technical unless a lot of snow dumps between now and then. Route finding can be interesting, particularly on the descent and if the visibility is poor. You can enjoy the long hike, moving scree, and altitude. October can be fabulous or miserable.

[hobson1]

That sounds good, Gary! I'm at UW so just swing on by and get me if you can! I'm worried about the weather and route finding. If it's like it's been for the past week, I think it'd be an incredible time to climb. However, if it goes south, we need someone who knows what they're doing, and I am definately NOT that person.

 

Now is this an overnight? Currently I only have a 38L pack so I'm not sure how much I could fit. And just for clarification, there are NO glaciers on the south spur route??

[Jeff W]

I suspect you mean there are no crevasses on the south climb. There are none. For overnight you will want a minimum 45L to 55L pack. You will likely be packing a tent/bivy, sleeping bag, jackets, stove and fuel, food and related stuff. As far as route finding, just make sure that on your return you pay attention to the trail below lunch counter. It's common for folks to get off trail and end up continuing down the drainage, resulting in bushwacking to hit the trail again.

[ashish]

As I said earlier, I will be landing in Seattle from Houston around 10:30AM. By the time I pick up my rental car and get out, it might me about noon. Looks like its about a 5.5 hour drive to the trail head. So it will be about 5:30PM by the time I get there. So I may not have much daylight left to hike. I may be able to get up the trail only a short distance. I may have to do most of the climb on 15th. If you guys want to start early on 14th, I would not want to hold you back. So please go ahead.

 

However, if anybody is in the same boat as I am, may be we can even hike a little bit in the dark and make some distance and camp on the 14th. I dont mind hiking in the dark as long as I am not alone.

 

[gen8787]

Any chance you want to bag the rental car and get a ride from me or Eric? Could possibly be a little faster. But you probably put a down payment or have a credit card on hold.

 

I'm all for meeting up in the evening and hiking up a bit together and sleeping at altitude. Four of us with lights should be able to hike a bit just fine.

[NWben]

Hey would you guys mind having one more in the team? I have class on the 14th until about 12:30 and I think it's about a 3.5 hour drive from where I'm at (Yakima), so I could definitly meet up around 5:30.

Matt- I have an extra backpack you can use if you need a bigger pack. Its a little older Dana Designs bag, but its got tons of room and I think it's pretty confortable. I've used it on a few winter overnights. As far as weather goes it sounds like a typical Cascades plan.... Just show up and see what the weather delivers! If it gets too bad we can always turn around.

[hobson1]

NWben- if you're going, I would LOVE the bag. I'm going to make a trip down to REI and some other shops in downtown Seattle so I might be able to find some cheap overnight bag, but otherwise if you could bring that bag, that'd be a lifesaver!!

 

[hobson1]

And yes, I meant crevasses. Sorry; new to climbing lingo. Also, should crampons be on the gear list, or will we be okay without. And hiking boots, or plastic?

[Andesite]

With all this planning going on, which I've enjoyed reading, don't forget to post a trip report afterward - even if it says, "The weather sucked, so we went to the pub". If you were flying in to Portland, I'd suggest you consider Walking Man Brewery in Stevenson, WA.

[NWben]

Yeah I'll bring the pack, just in case you don't find one. I think its about 80L so you'll have plenty of room... haha. I would for sure plan on bringing crampons, but you won't need plsatics. I don't think it will get very cold, and the plastics will kill your feet on a hike like this. I've never been on Adams though so you might want to check with someone that has.

[ElectricEric]

If we're wanting to do an alpine start then you're probably going to want crampons. When I did it in august we couldve probably gone all the way to the summit in tennis shoes. I imagine in the early morning it'll be pretty icy.

 

Hows everyone doing on tents? I was planning on just using a bivy sack w/ a good sleeping bag. Since we seem to have a decent amount of people going (which is AWESOME lol) we could split up tents if people are comfortable with that.

 

[billisfree]

I'm interested. I'm 63 and not exactly a fast climber... but I can get there if nobody rushes me. I'll try to camp on the lunch counter (9,400 ft). If other camp lower down, you'll have to catch me on way up.

[NWben]

Yeah I think we should for sure get an early start. I have a 2 person, 3 season tent (REI Passage2) that I can bring. It can be used as a roomy solo tent too but certainly is comfortable with 2 people. If we don't need another tent I'll bring a bivy sack.